Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-03-01
DAILY HERALD.
TRAMPS.
The City Infested by Vagrahts
and LOafers.

and LOafers.
Fourteen seedy, heavy eyed individu'
ais, all of the degraded sort OF humanity,
were marched into Justice Austin's Court
Yesterday afternoon about O'Clock. to
answer to charge OF vagrancy. They
were gathered into the fold at Congress
Hall, on Main street, at an early hour
yesterday morning, but by the time the
matinee commenced they we're freshened
and evidently had made an effort to look
as respectable as possible. Some of them
were evidently of the laboring class,
but little sympathy could they claim on
that account, for had they not lost their
sclf.respect, providing they ever had
any, they would not have baen found in
such place. The trouble is that in all
business centors where meney is plenty
and people are ree.handed are found
thousands of the tramp fraternity. A
town that is once marked is doomed to
this pestilential evil until some severe
steps are taken to get rid of them.
Tramps belong to great fraternity,
which has its signs, passwords and rules
as we'll as the great orders to which hon
ester humanity belongs. These signs
serve as guiding-posts as surely as does
the surveyors monument, and while
they cannot be understood by
anyone outside of the fraternity,
they give rise to u great deal OF annoy
ance to those who have once fed or
treated member of the order with
kindness. An examination of tramp's
pockets invariably reveals a nail or a
piece of chalk, the implements used in
designating houses where they can or
can not obtain food or money. Many
people in this and other communities
have wondered at the crosses and other
marks which they have observed on
their fences and sidewalks. These marks
are those OF the tramp fraternity. One
lady residing in one Of the suburbs a
short time ago gave some food to beg.
oar. and for week afterward the house
was absolutely besieged by tramps ask
ing to be fed. Although charitaDly in
clined, this lady could not afford to feed
from thirteen to sixteen tramps day,
and she stopptd d her free lunch. Since
the first day on which she refused every
beggar, she has not been auHoyed, and
this gives conclusive proof that they
must have some way OF informing
each other of her intentions. This is
single case and there are no doubt many
more of similar nature, and If the in
habitants of town are free-handed, Is
it not reasonable to believe that the
news will be spread and the town
inundated with such characters?
The people of Los Angeles must
have been very generous, for there are
large number OF tramps in town now
and others are now heading this way.
If all those arrested are not treated Sc
verely by the law the number will not
decrease very soon, for once they gain
admission they are tenacious. 1t is diff
ficult for Court, however, to decide
Just which of the parties brought before
it deserves sentence. for when arrested
they all have plausible tales to relate.
They are either working, or else they
have worked, or are about to work, and
if some one tale be true and the others
false it i. almost impossible to distin
euish which that one is; consequently 1t
Ia probable ttldt SOino ouhtS opeS SoNaPS
and some that are innocent suffer. Ii
they do i! is their own fault, for they
should not be found IN such circum-
stances as will render them liable to sus.
picion. All of the fourteen before the
Court yesterday stated that they had
worked and some said that they were
working, but the fact that they were
found in Congress Hall asleep in the
chairs, on the tables and on the floor,
seemed to prove conclusively that they
were either there to sober OFT or else
to sleep there free of charge. Some
had only been there one night,
and others were known to have
been there for days and wet ks.
Justice Austin after carefully hearing
the evidence allowed five to go, sen.
fenced one to three days, four to five
days and four to ten days in the comfy
jail. In other communities tramps think
themselves fortunate if they escape with
less than thirty days. OF the fourteen
only two had any money-one had $3.50
and the other fifty cents. There are
several other places than Congress Hall
that are frequented by tramps and the
sooner they are broken up the better 1t
will be for the community.